I was reading a mag article a few weeks back (maybe Road & Track?) where they did a head to head competition with the Ford F-150, the Dodge 1500 with a Hemi, and the Nissan Titan. I think other trucks were in there too (the Silverado comes to mind) but I wasn't as interested in them.
The question I have was that I started looking at payload, and despite the fact that the weight and rear ends of the truck all appeared similar, and that the Dodge had a decided horsepower advantage (torque too, but less so) the Dodges towing capacity was something like 7500 lbs while the Ford's and the Nissan's were 9900 and 9800 respectively. My question is how can this be? It would seem if you have engine and rear end parity, with close curb weights, the towing capacity should follow. But the Dodge truck was significantly lower. My old 318 Jeep has a 6500 lbs towing capacity (not that I'll be testing it any time soon with its wheelbase).
Thanks!
Jim